Call of Duty: Black Ops II Xbox 360
User Score
4.5 out of 10

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 1669 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 640 out of 1669
  2. Mixed: 175 out of 1669
  3. Negative: 854 out of 1669

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  1. DME
    Dec 28, 2012
    9
    Yes, it's similar to past Call of Duty games. But what do you expect... disco dancing and magic abilities? The [[CAMPAIGN]] provides varied gameplay with some really cool surprises such as flying a fighter jet and fighting enemies with cloaking abilities. The story is narrated much better than the original Black Ops and the villain character was 'painted' very well. By the end of the game, you really want that guy dead. The branching storylines are a fresh addition but do very little to affect the gameplay. The choices you make only really seem to affect cutscenes and dialogue. There's also optional Strike Force missions, which are basically tower defense games in their nature. They are hit and miss. While they can be fun, the A.I. is awful and controls are very difficult to learn. Moving on to the [[MULTIPLAYER]]. Maps are designed very well and offer playstyles of all sorts. The maps are much smaller in comparison to previous COD games, which some may not like. The new Create-A-Class system is genius. I would hate to see future COD games trash this idea. Scorestreaks are a much needed improvement over the past killstreaks system. Everything in general just feels incredibly balanced. There's also a new handful of gadgets such as electric mines, a PDA, and a sight that allows you to see enemies through walls (not overpowered, so don't worry). The perks aren't changed much, except for the fact that Ghost got downgraded (thank you, Treyarch) and you no longer need to acquire "pro' versions. You can level up weapons like in MW3, but this time you get to keep their ranks after prestiging. There's also plenty of other subtle improvements that really make the game more enjoyable. Panic-Knifing is near impossible now. But to make up for that, you have access to a Combat Knife that you have to draw before using, but it has longer range and much better accuracy. The new "unlock tokens" system is surprisingly better than the original Black Ops's currency system. Anyway, if there's anything negative to say about the multiplayer, it would be this: Spawn system is worse than ever. Expect lots of spawn-trapping and killing. That's really it. Some people would attack this game because of it's "Lag Compensation" (a misleading term) but those people don't have any idea what they're talking about. There's literally no possible way to just do away with lag, because everyone plays with different internet. You can't fix that. So stop complaining. Moving on to [[ZOMBIES]]... The zombies mode made some drastic changes that will do its best to confuse the crap out of you when you first start it up. The new menu is definitely not friendly to new Black Ops 2 players. The survival maps are incredibly small when compared to that of the original Black Ops, but to compensate, you have two new game modes. Grief mode is a fun 4v4 competitive zombie game that actually gives reason to play online. It's unfortunate, however, that besides knifing other players, there's not a lot of interactivity. It just feels like an 8-player clutter-fest. Tranzit is a very cool mode in which you use a bus to travel to different locations on a huge map. There's lots of hidden secrets in it making it the best zombies mode to play. But after I've played it enough, I can't help but wish they would bring back the large Survival maps. In [[CONCLUSION]], Black Ops 2 is (in my opinion) the best and most complete Call of Duty game yet. Besides a few issues here and there, it's widely improved and more enjoyable than ever. Rather than focusing on making drastic changes, Treyarch focused on making tons of smaller changes that really ended up making a huge difference.… Expand
  2. TomComics
    Nov 15, 2012
    8
    Treyarch returns to the Call of Duty franchise with the sequel to Black Ops. Black Ops II offers a brand new challenging campaign Treyarch tried to make different than others by including "Strike Force Missions", which means that whatever your actions occur, such as if you die in the game, will effect how the game will end. While Strike Force missions may sound promising, they do not always make the game as fun and can be annoying, and the campaign is overall solid. Multiplayer as always returns and feels the same as always only with futuristic weapons, but at least Treyarch is doing a better job and listening to the community for ways to better the game. Zombies is back and better than ever. TranZit was well done and everytime I play I learn something new and fun. Treyarch really put effort into hearing the fans calls out from the community for the best Zombies gameplay. The Nuketown Zombies map is decent, but nothing to get really hyped for. Overall, Black Ops II is a better game than the original, (but the graphics should have improved so much more!) offering a solid campaign with its weak moments, a same feeling multiplayer only with new maps and a more futuristic setting, and a much better and extremely fun Zombies mode,… Expand
  3. 6xdandangp
    Dec 29, 2012
    0
    Unbalanced multiplayer, mediocre campaign, and overall terrible community. Activision really should've spent more time creating this, especially when it's such a "high-profile AAA" game.
  4. Veritas
    Nov 14, 2012
    8
    Let me preface this review by saying I hate what COD stands for. I have played every COD, and played competitively during MW2. I hate the fact that the engine is re-used. I hate it even more because it's the same problem we see with movies nowadays, it's laziness, but it's laziness that sells. I hated it so much that, even though everyone on my FL was playing it, I did not buy MW3. Based on what people have told me, it's a good thing I did not try that trainwreck. Oddly, a few weeks back, I made a decision to come back to COD. Blackops 2 is exactly what I thought it was. The one thing I don't understand is all the hate coming from the same direction. If you bought this game and were not expecting a COD game, I have nothing to say to you other than "what did you think it would be?" Anyway, the engine is old, but the MP shines. It and BF3 both do the multiplayer thing about as good as you'll find on a console, and we'll have to wait for the next gen of consoles for some true innovation, but this is exactly what you thought it would be.… Expand
  5. Jblack0928
    Nov 13, 2012
    9
    Online is a blast zombies better than ever, a great change of pace. If you love the series you'll defiantly love this entry. Haven't delved into the campaign but we know what we're here for.
  6. mikediesel11
    Nov 25, 2012
    9
    Treyarch did not change the gameplay but they changed the way the game is played.

    It's clear that there are a lot of fanboys on this site. I recommend looking at peoples review history. Anybody that gives this game a 1 or 2 has another agenda other than reviewing the game. I read users that completely contradict each other. My review: Treyarch is the king of making maps balanced a    nd interesting. IMO MW3 had the most boring maps. The gameplay is a mix between Black ops and MW3 and just as solid s ever. One of my few gripes with the gameplay itself is that the pistols and shotguns tend to be a little overpowered (a pistol shouldnt out duel an assault rifle). Treyarch did not change the gameplay but they changed the way the game is played. The pick 10 system where you can mix and match the tools you want for battle is simple to use but addicting to make the perfect loadout. They make it so you want to play the objective. Treyarch has put so much thought into perks and counters to each perk. They nailed it. The game is very fast paced at first but you will quickly get the hang of it. In MW3 there were constant non stop killstreaks and air support overhead. you really need to earn your score streaks in this game.

    Zombies is more fun than ever. My only gripe with zombies is in the Tranzit mode. You get objectives through in game narrative which I have a hard time paying attention to when im getting attacked by hordes of zombies. The single player has also changed. your decisions actually effect the outcome of the game and offers re-playability. I have not finished the campaign yet but so far so good. This is my favorite CoD to date and a fantastic game. The game is similar to past games but Treyarch has sent the game in a new direction. In case you were wondering this is the order of my favorite CoD games since CoD4 (from favorite to least favorite) :

    Black ops 2, Black ops, Modern Warfare, MW3, world at War, MW2    … Expand
  7. shadycolombian
    Nov 13, 2012
    10
    An all new experience from the same people who brought you the fun Black Ops. Find any other title this year that has as much fun, tense multiplayer and exciting set pieces and you'll come right back to Black Ops 2. The sheer excitement and drama of each scene is astounding. The decision making will have you coming back many times which is an evolution in the Call of Duty series. The multiplayer is so intense it will have you on the edge of your seat. The customization options are unparalleled and will be the marque online shooter experience this year. The Call of Duty series is the top selling shooter series in the entire world year after year for one very good reason: uncomplicated and thrilling multiplayer. There is absolutely no other series that offers the same level of intensity online with such a low learning curve. Team play and lone wolf tactics blend beautifully just like every Call of Duty title.

    There will be many skewed reviews on Gamespot because many people don't think players should have the right to fun. Think for yourself; play Black Ops 2 and don't look back.    … Expand
  8. ApocalypseBrown
    Nov 14, 2012
    6
    Dear Robert Florence, I do know you and you may be a good guy or a git. However I respect you for having the balls to tell the truth against the establishment of gaming even at the cost of your own job, I for one salute what you did and hope you get a better job soon! On the nasty tone of industry shenanigans COD BLOPS2 reeks of some profession reviewers being 'brought off', not that the game is terrible because it isn't, however year after year this franchise (evil empire to some) hasn't changed an awful lot yet STILL gains the plaudits of many reviewers. Personally BLOPS1 was the zenith of the series, and I have now sick to death of the stale yet over familiar imperial story-lines, it's under current racism and Treyarch/Activision refusal to moderate the thousands of racist bigots online as they are the company main fan-base and money talks of course. Yes this game actually is quite different in many ways, however fundamental change is needed otherwise the series can eat itself to death, it and the industry puppets it attracts so well.… Expand
  9. Justinavery7074
    Dec 4, 2012
    7
    I like it more than the original one, I can tell you that. But most of the time, it's pretty much the same maybe with a few new guns and whatnot. It's almost solid for me but what can I saw? It makes millions. Thank god my brother bought it instead of me.
  10. dmonee
    Nov 13, 2012
    9
    Ugh Hugh... Your not going to get us this time, users! Almost thru the campaign and so far it's freaking awesome. Multiplayer is still fun and the new and improved Zombies mode is the most addictive side games I've ever played. All of you haters are ruining the credibility of user reviews on this site. Don't believe the hate. Most of the critic reviews are spot on. This game will challenge for game of the year. Definitely shooter of the year.… Expand
  11. SchroederRock
    Jan 7, 2013
    4
    This is the third review I've written. I've had to tweak it some as I played the game more and more. Simply put, this is only a story extension from Black Ops. There is no evolution of gameplay, nothing fresh or imaginative. The biggest step forward has to be the Zombies gametype, where there's more than just the straight-up exhibition approach of pick a level, fight the zombies (rinse & repeat). But the multiplayer, where the game is supposed to take its biggest strides, falls completely flat. For me, this comes for a number of reasons: bad weapon balancing, poor killstreaks, no dedicated servers (and their player-host approach doesn't do well most of the time), poor hit detection (including the impossible feat that is the headshot, for whatever reason this game rarely rewards the player with a headshot when the head is all that is showing!), uninteresting perks, the list goes on but those are the ones I can think of immediately. This game will be fun and compelling if you've barely touched Call of Duty in the past, but just like Modern Warfare 3, the franchise shows its age in all aspects of the game (especially the graphics department). One has to wonder where Treyarch and Infinity Ward are with hiring creative minds to bring the franchise into interesting and fun waters. Quite honestly, it might be time to let this franchise die out and start fresh. If I could put it in to one sentence, I'd describe Call of Duty Black Ops 2 as tiresome, boring, and overly recycled - to the point that it makes me want to never play the game every time I conclude a playing session. Sadly, people are rewarding the development and production teams on this game by playing it (with online populations in the 500,000s at times). Honestly, play MW3 as it has better killstreak rewards and a much better weapon selection. Play Black Ops only if you covet campaign and the zombie survival mode, because the story is okay (just okay, nothing more) and zombies is the only real challenge Black Ops carries anymore. I'd venture to recommend Halo 4 over Black Ops 2 simply because it feels like Halo but has incorporated popular trends in multiplayer gaming that never existed in the earlier games of the franchise.… Expand
  12. Nasher
    Jan 5, 2013
    3
    How many times a year can they release the same, generic FPS game for $60? This only goes to show that if you build up enough hype, people will buy any old crap. I think it's safe to say that if you want value for money these days, stay away from the big publishers like Activision and EA...
  13. Yostarone
    Nov 14, 2012
    2
    the game is so ugly, the campaign is so scripted, the weapons sounds so bad. the only things that works is the mp. but even the mp is boring as hell. i'll stick with cod mw 3.
  14. Gerblanski
    Jan 31, 2013
    8
    This game is Call of Duty Black Ops II. This is the 7th Call of Duty game released since 2006, when Call of Duty 2 was released.
    Since Modern Warfare 2 was released, the franchise has appeared rather stale in terms of its core gameplay.
    There are reasons for this.
    1. Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 was the first Call of Duty game to sell millions, i mean the big millions.
    2. Since millio    ns still purchase the iterations every year, they have not seen the need to change drastically.
    3. This falls on the obvious concept of "if it ain't broke, don't fix it". They just broke the multiplayer a few times.
    4. If you hit the jackpot that early on, isn't it a good thing?
    5. You wan't to play a BAD military FPS, go play the re-booted Medal of Honor titles. They are abysmal.
    6. Wouldn't you want the guns to feel the same? If an AK-47 feels different in one game than another, wouldn't that be a reason to complain?
    7. The console generation has existed far longer than it should have, which is why we have these yearly iterations with barely any graphical improvements.
    8. Games aren't all about graphics, jeez, MW2 still looks good.

    You're idiots for expecting such drastic changes for a series that has been doing what it has for so long.
    Call of Duty 2 to 3 had a step up. Then there was a massive step up to Call of Duty 4. This started the ball rolling on the iterations as the key improvements had been made to keep the series on a respectable level.
    Modern Warfare 2 was the clincher, and that was only 3 years ago.

    In summary, Black Ops II is still the solid FPS we've come to expect over the last 3/4 years, but with this console generation coming to an end, and hopefully Treyarch, working on the iteration for 2014, that'll be enough time to benefit from the new system.

    If to be expected, Faux Infinity Ward will be working on CoD for 2013, it may be a poor system starter, but, we'll never know.

    Except trolls. They can see into the future. Ahh, trolls.

    Also, if your'e so pissed by Activision and the Call of Duty Series, VOTE WITH YOU'RE WALLETS. Activision doesn't read     … Expand
  15. DudeManGuy
    Nov 14, 2012
    10
    After playing up to level 35 in MP I can say this:

    They've changed quite a bit in the interest of balance. Ghost is now a top-level perk. That changes everything. UAVs are now super important, as is shooting them down. "Pick 10" for loadouts also changes the way you'll play. Want to move quickly while ADS, with fast reloads and a red dot? Prepare to give up just about everything else. I    t's a system that guarantees nobody has too many ways to keep you down.

    Haters are going to hate, but this is a great game. Totally worth the money.    … Expand
  16. Nobod3
    Dec 7, 2012
    5
    How Black Ops 2 proves Treyarch is still a B company-----Before I begin, I want to say that this is not a rant against the Call of Duty series or a love poem for the Battlefield series. In my honest opinion, they both have their good qualities and their bad qualities and are on two different scales of comparison. With that said, I feel that this newest iteration of Call of Duty really does show that Treyarch still cannot turn-up the heat and become a triple A gaming company.-----Single Player: For single player I have never seen a company take so many steps backwards. Let me just state that while Black Ops 1 had an interesting story for a single player, it also had probably the worst gameplay I've seen in a single player in the longest time. Black Ops 2 more or less has the exact same experience, but with a much less interesting plot-line to follow. First of all, as said by a Bungie employee, single player is about getting the gamer into a scenario in under five minutes. This includes starting up your console, loading the game/level, and then listening through that first cutscene. Anything over five minutes is bound to cause rage and hatred. Apparently Treyarch has never head this saying though, because each level starts off with a cutscene that is literally so long, boring, and drawn out that you really just want to shoot yourself before it is over. But if you do manage to get past these ridiculous cutscenes and to the gameplay, don't expect a triple A gaming experience. Instead, you end up with a very linear path to follow, very stupid NPCs to fight, and overall you will feel like you are being dragged along on a bad theme park ride. Finally, that new mode is about the worst POS you've ever seen where a game tries oh so hard to imitate another game. It's stupid mistakes like this that show that their Single Player experience is still that of a B company.-----Multiplayer: I would like to say that I have already played too much multiplayer for this game, over 200 hours easily. I wish I could get that time back. To begin, although multiplayer now has all these new looks and bells attached to it, this is by far the least interesting/fun multiplayer to date. Basically it's Black Ops 1 with absolutely nothing new. Sure, they change the guns, the equipment, and the way you can attach stuff, but its all the same in the end with how you use stuff. But the part that gets me, and the reason I will call Treyarch again a B company, is that you can honestly tell that Treyarch has decided to put innovation before fixing problems. They have a new "Pick 10" system in play here that works fine enough, but then not everything is created equal among all the items. For instance, they still have no balanced the SMG being overpowered or there are some perks that make you wonder why anyone would ever choose that one (Hardwired being one that always comes to mind). On top of that, it's like they want the system to be more broken than ever before. But even if this new "Pick 10" system isn't balanced, I can admit that through many complaints they could eventually get things right (though the balancing I will openly admit feels like a BETA and not a final version, the errors being that obvious). However, what cannot be fixed are the other problems, such as this game having literally the worst spawn system in the entire history of FPS games. I wish I was joking, but in 1 game I was spawn killed 14 times in 3 minutes. Just for your knowledge, no, I do not suck. What does suck is that they literally will move the spawn to the **** part of the map if 1 player on the enemy team gets even close to the other side of your base. Add on top of that the fact that Treyarch has literally taken out the best part of MW3 spawn system, the "Safe Spawns" (Protects you from killstreaks if you just spawned) and it gets worse. I am not joking when I say that Treyarch should fire the guy that worked on spawns, and yes they had a guy working specifically on spawns. Finally, map design in this game is like someone thought "Hey, Nuketown worked once, let's just make 10 more versions of it and call that good." All the maps are small, and if they aren't small then they are cluttered. It's literally SMG heaven, or in other words perfect for people to use the least balanced weapon. I think I could get over all of this, but then the thing that just tops it off, the thing that I can't believe they failed to correct since it was the NUMBER 1 COMPLAINT ABOUT MW3 is still in the game. Lag / Lag Compensation is by far the worst of any game yet and 3 yellow bars means don't play.-----Zombies: Transit mode is just obnoxious. Plain and simple. I hate hearing the bus call out for players and I really hate trying to navigate the large map. But to really just explain it, Transit mode is the combination of 4 bad survival maps into one, large, bad survival map. Guys, it doesn't work. So if you ask me, the best zombies map is actually Nuketown. Go figure.-----Skip This.… Collapse
  17. Phenom557
    Nov 15, 2012
    4
    I will start by saying this, Call of Duty:Black Ops II is not a terrible game. Its just as polished if not more so then the previous titles. Slight improvements in game play mechanics and zombie mode(s) don't go un-noticed. I've been a Call of Duty fan since the start (I'm talking the original COD and all its expansions on PC) but only a fool can play this game and say its ANYTHING more then MORE OF THE SAME!!. Nothing about the game stood out, nothing revolutionary and nothing mind blowing. The dated graphics engine is absolutely showing its age and cant hold up to gorgeous titles like Halo 4 or even BF3. I finished the campaign in about 6 hours and the multiplayer sadly did absolutely nothing for me, The level designs are un-imaginative and even the "futuristic" weapons lack the punch I was looking for. All in all Call of Duty Black Ops II is the solid 60fps shooter we've come to expect but nothing more. Sadly the back to back COD releases have taken their toll on most of the veteran gaming community leaving us all craving for something new.… Expand
  18. MikeCthaILLest
    Nov 27, 2012
    2
    This game tries to be Extreme, It fails & succeeds only at being extremely repetitive. Shoot Cutscene Shoot Cutscene. Call of Duty or Call of Doody either way it's the Same Ol $ H I T don't buy it flush this turd pressed to disk. I give this deuce a 2....
  19. JookyDFW
    Nov 13, 2012
    8
    Don't believe the haters that post 0 ratings. Based on their comments it's obvious they don't even own the game and just hate the franchise. Continue to read and you will understand why this is true. Do Metacritic a favor and vote those reviews down.

    I spent about three hours on multiplayer team deathmatch last night and the game felt much different. The sound (through turtle beach head    phones) is much improved and the video seems more detailed. It is hard to hear footsteps but they are there. One new thing I noticed is that if you bump into things you make noise. The maps seem small but they are intricate, multi-leveled, and provide many paths to move through the map. In contrast MW3 that had basically three paths on most maps.

    The new "pick 10" system allows you to customize your loadout the way you want and, with the new wildcards, you can even choose the slots available to customize. I didn't spend much time playing with this feature but it's definitely different (and better) than previous versions.

    During gameplay I noticed a couple other things that changed (for the better). Gun accuracy is much worse the faster you move. If you run up on someone moving slow and looking down their sights you will most likely get killed. Also, cover makes a big difference. If your having a shootout with someone and you're behind a box or something you're more likely to kill them. Short range weapons are a lot less accurate at range. No more one-shot kills with and SMG from across the map. Vehicles blow up a lot faster. Particularly if you drop a grenade on them.

    In summary from what I have seen I think this game is different enough from the original Black Ops and a huge improvement over MW3 which was basically a remake of MW2 with new maps and challenges. One suggestion I have is to create more vertical maps with four or more tiers.No COD has had so maybe the game engine can't handle it.    … Expand
  20. Mike69k
    Nov 13, 2012
    9
    This game is a great step up from the last title: +Graphics are the best to date +Sound is more realistic, and better on a 5.1 system than previous titles +More customization in classes +Better menu's and interface +No lag online +No camping spots on map that don't have multiple entrances I cant really say anything negative so far. I can tell you people posting zero's because it is the "same game" must have been expecting a robot racing game with lasers. It's call of duty, what did you expect? It does what it does better than any other franchise for a reason. Watch a game play trailer for **** sake.… Expand
  21. Jools86
    Nov 14, 2012
    8
    I have got to say, what with this and Halo 4, FPS'ers are spoilt. The multiplayer maps are so much better than MW3, which was the 1st CoD game I stopped playing due to boredom. Always preferred Treyarch's maps to IW for some reason. Hope their next game is World at War 2!

    Little bit worried the Assault Rifles might be a little underpowered, but will upgrade my weapon and see.

    I haven    t played Single Player - due to the fact the last one I enjoyed was WaW.… Expand
  22. TheZephyr
    Jan 15, 2013
    5
    Well what can be said that has not been said 50,000 times over?? I gave the the original Black Ops a 9 because I thought it brought a nice change of pace to the franchise. I tried oh so hard to like this game, I even managed to prestige once before I gave up in utter disappointment with what I saw. Campaign wise, some of your actions do have a degree of effect on the story (although by how much is up to you as it seemed to effect the game story only slightly for me). But alas, like most recent triple A COD titles the characters are weak and I felt no connection to any of them. The classic COD AI is back out in force wreaking havoc on the enemy's concrete pillars and plaster walls all the while screaming at you to do anything and everything in between. The Strike Force missions were a nice attempt but ultimately fell short due to bad AI and RTS commands. That's it, I wont bother ripping on the campaign anymore because lets be honest; who in their right mind buys a COD game for the single player?
    As for multiplayer, it is fun at first but the fun rapidly dissipates after the first few hours of play. The maps are OK if uninspiring, but I could never shake off the feeling of claustrophobia that plagued me as I was playing. The god awful respawns and the cramped CQC style of the maps essentially forces you into lugging around high-rate-of-fire smgs or the dreaded Remington wherever you go. Snipers and LMG users are like black sheep in this game with one making an appearance every now and then and shocking the COD community. There are some perks and equipment that are clearly better than others (C4, Bouncing Bettys, that-god-**** ghost perk) While others such as Hard Wired, Awareness, and claymores lie completely unused (at least in my experience). I could go on, and on and on about the class imbalances and such, but I know this will fall mostly on deaf ears at this point. Once again the stagnat mulitiplayer leveling system and just boring unchanged gameplay leaves much to be desired.
    The Zombies mode however is the one and only saving grace this game has and it is very enjoyable when you have friends or a good group. I played i,t no lie for seven straight hours on Tranzit and Green Run and it helped soften the blow somewhat about blowing three Andrew Jacksons on this game.
    In my closing argument I want to make it clear that I love COD, I played the original COD on my PC way back in the early 2000's and had great memories playing it. I agree completely that COD4, MW2, BOPS1, was the zenith period for COD but sadly as this game and another (made by IW which shall forever remain namless...) has shown me that the glory day are long gone now. I appreciate Treyarch for trying something new and trying to innovate, but c' mon guys lets be serious here you and IW and especially Activision, are trying to revive a hero that has been dead for eight years now and no amount of "updating" or "improvements" will fix that. No its time to wipe the slate clean and start over fresh with new ideas and innovations. Better yet, we should avoid this game and invest money into games and companies like From Softwares Dark Souls or Planetside 2 or Blacklight. These companies at least give a crap about their fans and customers. But knowing activision, you have a better chance of winning the lottery in Texas than you do at Activision actually changing. So in summary..........
    0/10 for graphics hey activision last time I checked it was 2012/2013 not 2005.
    Campaign: 1.5/10 ( I know this is irrelevant it just makes me feel better!)
    Multiplayer: 2/10 minus an additional point to avenge by PC brothers and sisters for the appalling lack of dedicated servers. Fight on people!
    Zombies brings this game to a 5 because I like it and its actually fun.
    Shame on you Activision for ruining another good video game franchise. Looks like its back to Dark Souls for me.    … Expand
  23. davidm71
    Nov 14, 2012
    3
    I made the mistake of playing this straight after Halo 4. Maybe if I played this game 5 or 10 years before Halo 4, it wouldn't have seemed so bad. Everything about Black Ops II feels old, tired, linear, on-rails. The graphics engine is dated and looks cheap, flat and synthetic compared to numerous recent releases I could mention. The game play requires no thought or tactics. A.I. is barely existent. It's just an unsatisfying experience all-round. But the hype, fan base, and ridiculously favourably high critic reviews will ensure it sells millions. And I, amongst many others, was duped into wasting my money on it.… Expand
  24. VidsRule
    Nov 13, 2012
    4
    Look at my review history. Am I someone who jumps on a bandwagon in any way? Look at my review of mw3, and by the way, BO1 was mt favorite COD. BO2 is a compete waste of my money and it makes me happy mw3 was so poorly recieved. Granted, I've only played it for 1 night. But, the campaign is as most basic as possible, and the multiplayer is so steriotyplical that I amost knew what was going to happen next based on a game I played 5 years ago, and that game is blah blah blah. I let mw3 slide even though I knew it was the same as usual but I can't let this slide because now I have to sell this and accept a $30 dollar loss because I didn't listen to a !,000,000,000,000 other gamers.… Expand
  25. comacoma
    Nov 15, 2012
    9
    Haters gonna hate, but it's the best CoD up to date, and so it's the best Single-Player and Co-op FPS EVER. Non-linear, explosive roller-coaster with choices that matter. Too bad there is only one zombies map, but it'd be fixed obviously. Maybe has some flaws in MP but there is no competition anyway - BF3 is different game (not to mention boring sp/coop) which sucked at gunplay, and just release MoH simply flopped. At least Activision don't want my money for free unlocks. And here we are, people whine about engine and other incompetent stuff. You know, I can imagine PC gamers whine about dated visuals, but x360 crowd with 8yo hardware? Get over yourself.… Expand
  26. billruller
    Dec 9, 2012
    1
    This is ridiculous, Activision really needs to take their time with their Call of Duty games. Before you guys go smartass on me, I know there are 2 other companies that publish the multiplayer such as Infinity Ward and Treyarch. COD games have been coming every single year, which are all a complete cash in since after COD 4: Modern Warfare. The only good thing I like is the campaign, it always have a decent campaign but COD is mostly bought as a Multi-Platform Port for online multiplayer. Just like the previous ones, its the same friggin' thing as the other ones. Its the same exact multiplayer that you could be playing right now with the previous ones. Yet fans always defend it by the Maps and Weapon models, but I don't really care for that, I care for how its played and it is played exactly like the other ones. I'm surprised that they STILL didn't fix the annoying part with the bad health system and wobbling sniper aim. Let's not forget getting killed instantly by the Snipers and Campers which ruins the game. Some say I'm a noob for b*tching about that because they can pass it without a problem, well at least I'm not a noob for spending another $60 on the same FPS every year. Just rent it for the campaign, the multiplayer is not worth the $60. If you want to play this game, just play your MW3, Black Ops, or MW2 theres no difference at all.… Expand
  27. Hxctalife
    Nov 17, 2012
    4
    My score is 4 out of 10. I'll star with the good points first ONLY for multiplayer : This Cod is fun for the fast-paced action and for the time a played to reach lvl 25 seems really balanced with the nes system of scorestreak it seems like there is less cheap streak weapons so the game feels more like a shooter game than a over the top explosing cheap war unbalanced mess like MW2 and MW3. Sounds are really great, they really improved on that. They new token equipment system with tokens are really well implemented too, it feels really more balanced and you have to make sacrifice to make your class more well rounded. Gameplay is as usual good and easy to pick up and play for casual gamers and feel rellay responsive like all call of duty, one of the strongest point of this serie.Now the bads... be ready : Graphics are OK but Treyarch clearly has a step back from Infinity Ward's games even MW2 looks better IMO than BO2. Assault Rifle's madness...damn it might be the weakess part of that game, assault rifle are very too powerfull ther is almost NO recoil at all with it so you can 'snipe' easily with long distant without no problem at all with the new scopes for zooming, you can even spray without fearing to be killed by a real sniper user, so frustrating for sniper users like me...I might not be the best sniper user in the world but I kinda did well in previous COD with it. The maps : They feel really blend and without being memorable at all and there are too many shadow corners for camper to just wait and have cheap kills... they tried to make it look like a medal of honor game and it fails at it seriously. The cheap hide head hitbox : In tis COD when you hide behind a barrel the opponent will have a hard time to kill you mostly if he uses an assault rifle or smg because there is almost no head hitbox from yours it's really not realistic you would not supposed to be able to fire from that point since the opponent don't even see the reste of your body... every cod is like that but that damn that one is VERY exagerated. The menu music : WHY please why....add some dubstep music in a COD wow?! really!? They really force to target kids smoking week and listening to that crappy music and only play cod and thinking it's a competetive shooter while it's not. The community : Well it's cod so you know what to think about it... The servers and online aspect : Ok for the launch it was a big time fail... always getting lag spike on the menu.. can't join with a party that exeeds more that 2 players, kicking out of game without reason, games try to find other player even if it's fully causing games to wait a really long time to start, loading for reconnecting to parties... THEY have to fix it quickly or people will stop playing it. That's much of it, IMO it's the worst COD yet I skipped MW3 cause it looked really bad thinking the next one would be improved but I was wrong and now this is the last time I bought a COD game, this serie is dead but it's sad because it will always make money from the hype and the kids who still think it's the best serie ever, the new FPS generation is very different but not for the good, brought the game back and bought BF3 and yet feels so refreshing compared to COD see you there for the people who have taste in FPS games! I hope the next COD will fail big time on sales, this is absolutly unnacceptable to release a recycled peace of crap with the engine runing for 5 YEARS! Macdonald's food sells well but doesn't mean that it's good but it gattered so much popularity and it's easy to buy and eat when you have nothing else, it's the same case with COD serie. R.I.P COD and Treyarch and Infinity enjoy the your money from the mcdonald's sold out I hope you like it!… Expand
  28. PapaShroom
    Nov 24, 2012
    5
    For starters lemme say I'm a huge fan of COD and have always loved the multiplayer gameplay....well almost. Now secondly Activision is full of greedy corporate scum making a billion + in a holiday season isnt enough for these greedy scum sucking vultures they have to come up with new ways to suck the money out of the consumer and until we stop allowing this they will continue to do things such as! Lying their money grubbing asses off by getting us to preorder BO2 in order to get Nuketown 2025 then 6 days later taking it away from us. Then instead of doing what was right and putting it back into the Nuketown 2025 24/7 they put it in the regular rotation. Activision you are SCUM you are whats wrong with gaming. Now for my review. Scorestreaks SUCK not a whole lot of difference besides giving people a reason to go with cheesy tactics and camping but regardless just bring back killstreaks. But overall this is by far the weakest of any of the COD's. The hit detection is absolutely terrible in this game, they also need to nerf knife runners immediately mainly due to the fact their run speed is so great its causing their hit boxes to lag behind them. They've totally wasted assault rifles in this game they've put to much emphasis on rate of fire and hip firing in an attempt to increase the overall "speed" of the game. I average around 17 kills a game with an assault rifle and aiming down site in a 1v1 fire fight but with an smg hip firing I'm in the upper 20's. The games lack of guns sucks and Im not a fan of the 10 piece only system. MW & MW2 remain the highlight of the COD series.… Expand
  29. clubdrift123
    Nov 15, 2012
    10
    This game has really blown me away with the way that Treyarch have put in so much effort to make it better than that sorry excuse for a game Infinity Ward produced last year. The way the story entangles you in the characters is very cinematic and often plays like a movie. The Mulyplayer has been revamped and brought to a whole new level. This game is a great example of a Call of Duty sequel that is great (take notes Infinity ward because I was not impressed with MW2 or MW3). Thank you Treyarch for making the Black Ops games the best in the series.… Expand
  30. DalekHoser
    Dec 4, 2012
    0
    The game is extremely weak, repetitive. The campaing is awful, the multiplayer is boring, every year a Call of Duty game is release and every year it's basically the same thing: tedious and awful.
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Critic Reviews

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Metascore
83 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 73 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 67 out of 73
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 73
  3. Negative: 0 out of 73
  1. Xbox World Australia
    Jan 22, 2013
    80
    This is not to say it's a bad game, it's just not different enough from previous Call of Duty titles. The story isn't memorable, the maps and weapons aren't any different to what we've previously experienced, the gameplay is near identical to previous games, and when it's not identical it falls flat and fails to impress.
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  2. X360 Magazine UK
    Jan 19, 2013
    80
    It's fun, and an indication that Treyarch is willing to explore ideas that Infinity Ward has thus far ignored. [Issue#93, p.74]
  3. DailyGame
    Jan 7, 2013
    95
    If the original Black Ops was Treyarch's coming-out party, then Black Ops 2 is the studio's affirmation that their COD expertise was no flash in the pan. If you're one of the 16 people who hasn't played this gem yet, go buy it now. Conversely, if you're among those who bought the game but hasn't ventured into the single-player campaign (yes, it happens), there's a great narrative and divergent gameplay awaiting your experimentation, so check it out.
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